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  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Sex Is Good

    But not always. And that’s kind of the point. OK, let me back up. Like that bad-for-you ex from whom you just can’t seem to make a clean break, the...

    Read “Sex Is Good”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Womb Gay

    Reading an excerpt from the new book Sex and War has got me thinking about the Mormons and California’s Prop 8. Sex and War features a meditation on how biology...

    Read “Womb Gay”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Of Kinks, Crimes, and Kinds: The Paraphilias Proposal for the DSM-5

    When is a kinky interest really sick? That’s the central question the Paraphilias Sub-Work Group of the American Psychiatric Association has had to face as they’ve developed proposed revisions for...

    Read “Of Kinks, Crimes, and Kinds: The Paraphilias Proposal for the DSM-5”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    New Hope for Detecting Consciousness in Vegetative Patients: Ethical Implications

    Patients diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state have figured prominently in the law and medical ethics relating to end-of-life decisions since the case of Karen Quinlan in 1976....

    Read “New Hope for Detecting Consciousness in Vegetative Patients: Ethical Implications”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    On Living to 100 or More

    Sometime around my mid-50’s I began to ask myself a question: how long should I want to live? My father had died at 64, my mother at 85, my various...

    Read “On Living to 100 or More”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Continuing the Dialogue on Bioethics and Populism

    Franklin Miller’s recent post in Bioethics Forum responded to our essay, “Bioethics and Populism: How Should Our Field Respond?”  in the current issue of the Hastings Center Report. There, we suggested...

    Read “Continuing the Dialogue on Bioethics and Populism”

  • Hastings Center News

    Hastings Center Organizes Symposium for International Journalism Conference: Ethical Debates on New Genetic Technologies

    The Hastings Center is working with the World Conference of Science Journalists to organize a pre-conference symposium, “New Genetic Technologies: Ethical Debates and Global Science Policy.” The 10th World Conference...

    Read “Hastings Center Organizes Symposium for International Journalism Conference: Ethical Debates on New Genetic Technologies”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Gene Editing, “Cultural Harms,” and Oversight Mechanisms

    Is it reasonable to hope that concerns about “cultural harms” can be integrated into oversight mechanisms for technologies like gene editing? That question was raised anew for me by the...

    Read “Gene Editing, “Cultural Harms,” and Oversight Mechanisms”

  • Hastings Center News

    Hastings President Addresses National Conference on the Wise Use of Emerging Technologies

    Hastings Center president Mildred Solomon  delivered a keynote address at the Future of Medicine conference, a national health care conference celebrating the convergence of technology, bioethics, population health, and preventive...

    Read “Hastings President Addresses National Conference on the Wise Use of Emerging Technologies”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    The Value of Bioethics Against Authoritarian Populism

    Populism has been influencing public discourse and election outcomes in several countries recently. The degree to which populism has a sway on elections varies with the electoral system in each...

    Read “The Value of Bioethics Against Authoritarian Populism”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    The Climate Agreement: Understanding, and Leveraging, Public Opinion

    After years of fluctuating and troubled efforts, the nations of the world in December of 2015 came to the remarkable agreement to work together to reduce global warming. On June...

    Read “The Climate Agreement: Understanding, and Leveraging, Public Opinion”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    This Doctor Experimented on Slaves: It’s Time to Remove or Redo His Statue

    “There is a difference between remembrance of history and reverence of it,” Mayor Mitch Landrieu declared to explain the removal of four Confederate monuments in New Orleans in May. The...

    Read “This Doctor Experimented on Slaves: It’s Time to Remove or Redo His Statue”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    What’s Truly Outrageous About Intersex?

    On August 5, the World News Daily Report published an article that has been circulating on my Facebook newsfeed every day since: “Hermaphrodite Impregnates Self, Gives Birth to Hermaphrodite Twins.”...

    Read “What’s Truly Outrageous About Intersex?”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    On Sims’s Legacy: Work for Bioethics

    My  colleague Susan Reverby surely got this right: It is time to consider anew what to do about Dr. J. Marion Sims, that is, what to do about the New...

    Read “On Sims’s Legacy: Work for Bioethics”

  • Hastings Center News

    International Conference Co-Organized by Hastings Examines the Ethics of Gene Editing

    Following recent advances in gene editing technologies, including the first recorded use of CRISPR/Cas9 in human embryos in the United States, The Hastings Center cosponsored an international conference, “Genome Editing:...

    Read “International Conference Co-Organized by Hastings Examines the Ethics of Gene Editing”

  • Hastings Center News

    Responsible Science in a Perilous Time: Hastings and Union of Concerned Scientists Join Forces

    Climate change, nuclear proliferation, and the advancement of gene editing and other transformative biotechnologies pose enormous global challenges. How can we promote responsible science, good governance, and opportunities for public...

    Read “Responsible Science in a Perilous Time: Hastings and Union of Concerned Scientists Join Forces”

  • Hastings Center News

    Hastings Center Scholar Addresses Implications of CDC Avoiding Seven Words

    Vulnerable. Entitlement. Diversity. Transgender. Fetus. Evidence-based. Science-based. Last week, news outlets reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had been advised to avoid using these seven words in...

    Read “Hastings Center Scholar Addresses Implications of CDC Avoiding Seven Words”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    A New Mind-Body Problem

    Not since Rene Descartes gazed from his garret window in early 17th-century Paris and wondered whether those were men or hats and coats covering “automatic machines” he saw roaming the...

    Read “A New Mind-Body Problem”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Vive la Bioéthique? France’s Bioethics Initiative

    Little noticed in the United States but a big deal in France, President Emmanuel Macron announced in January that he is creating a bioethics commission to review the country’s policies...

    Read “Vive la Bioéthique? France’s Bioethics Initiative”

  • Hastings Center News

    Hastings Scholar on Public Radio’s “Science Friday”: “Frankenstein” at 200

    Frankenstein, published 200 years ago this month, asked what it means to be human. In the age of CRISPR and artificial intelligence, that question endures. On Public Radio International’s “Science...

    Read “Hastings Scholar on Public Radio’s “Science Friday”: “Frankenstein” at 200”

  • Hastings Center News

    Looking for the Psychosocial Effects of Genomic Test Results

    For the last quarter century, researchers have been asking whether genetic test results might have negative psychosocial effects. Anxiety, depression, disrupted relationships, and heightened stigmatization have all been posited as...

    Read “Looking for the Psychosocial Effects of Genomic Test Results”

  • Hastings Center News

    Should We Pursue Genetic Cognitive Enhancement?

    That was one of the many questions explored at a public event at the New York Academy of Sciences on May 21, cosponsored by The Hastings Center, the Aspen Brain...

    Read “Should We Pursue Genetic Cognitive Enhancement?”

  • Hastings Center News

    Documentary Series Premiere on Genetic Medicine Features Hastings Scholars

    Hastings Center president Mildred Z. Solomon and director of research Josephine Johnston were featured speakers at the premiere screening of The Code, a series of three documentaries on the origins...

    Read “Documentary Series Premiere on Genetic Medicine Features Hastings Scholars”

  • Hastings Center News

    New Hastings Center Project: Public Deliberation for a Democracy in Crisis

    Technologies are transforming the planet and its inhabitants, human and nonhuman, calling out for assessment and wise decision-making. Yet trust in science is eroding and polarization deeply threatens our ability...

    Read “New Hastings Center Project: Public Deliberation for a Democracy in Crisis”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Addressing Questions About DTC Genetic Tests and Privacy

    The process is fairly simple. You select one of the companies that offer direct-to-consumer genetic tests; pay online; receive a neatly packed kit that contains a tube designed to collect...

    Read “Addressing Questions About DTC Genetic Tests and Privacy”

  • Hastings Center News

    World Science Festival Features Hastings Scholars on Gene Editing

    Where do we draw the line between safe and dangerous applications of CRISPR, the gene editing technology that allows us to make permanent, even heritable, changes to the genetic code?...

    Read “World Science Festival Features Hastings Scholars on Gene Editing”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    The Only PhD Scientist in Congress Speaks About Truth, Politics, and Human Flourishing

    At a time when facts are distorted, disregarded, and ignored in policy making and political discourse, the need in Washington for seekers and defenders of truth has perhaps never been...

    Read “The Only PhD Scientist in Congress Speaks About Truth, Politics, and Human Flourishing”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Do You Want the Police Snooping in Your DNA?

    In late April, a suspect thought to be the Golden State Killer, a man who had eluded police for decades after committing a string of murders and rapes in Northern...

    Read “Do You Want the Police Snooping in Your DNA?”

  • Hastings Center News

    Should Gene-Edited Mice Be Released to Control Lyme Disease?

    Hastings Center research scholar Carolyn P. Neuhaus participated in a panel discussion on Martha’s Vineyard on July 12 to discuss a proposal to release genetically modified mice to curb the...

    Read “Should Gene-Edited Mice Be Released to Control Lyme Disease?”

  • Hastings Center News

    The Gift and Weight of Genomic Knowledge

    With the popularity of direct-to-consumer genetic testing, genomic knowledge is assuming a growing role in shaping human life. On the one hand, this knowledge is a gift, offering insights into...

    Read “The Gift and Weight of Genomic Knowledge”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Wrongful Death Suits for Frozen Embryos: A Bad Idea

    Last March, 4,000 frozen eggs and embryos were lost at University Hospitals Fertility Center in Cleveland when the temperature in cryogenic tanks spiked due to human error. Officials at University...

    Read “Wrongful Death Suits for Frozen Embryos: A Bad Idea”

  • Hastings Center News

    What Can Frankenstein Teach Us About Living in the Genetics Age?

    Join us to mark the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein with a panel discussion that will explore the novel from the perspectives of bioethics, literary criticism, and science...

    Read “What Can Frankenstein Teach Us About Living in the Genetics Age?”

  • Hastings Center News

    New Project: Public Deliberation on Gene Editing in the Wild

    With funding from the National Science Foundation, a new Hastings Center project will examine the rationale and challenges of public deliberation on the release of genetically modified insects, mammals, and...

    Read “New Project: Public Deliberation on Gene Editing in the Wild”

  • Hastings Center News

    The Hastings Center Celebrates Outstanding Journalists

    Three journalists received The Hastings Center Awards for Excellence in Journalism on Ethics and Reprogenetics. The awards were presented at an event in New York City on December 6 that...

    Read “The Hastings Center Celebrates Outstanding Journalists”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    He Jiankui’s Genetic Misadventure: Why Him? Why China?

    The birth of gene-edited twin girls was announced by a young Chinese scientist He Jiankui through one of four self-made promotional videos in English on YouTube (a website officially banned...

    Read “He Jiankui’s Genetic Misadventure: Why Him? Why China?”

  • Hastings Center News

    Hastings President Addresses the Question: Is Ethical AI an Oxymoron?

    As artificial intelligence transforms health care, what should be done to assure that it brings about improvements and greater equity? To address those questions, Hastings Center President Mildred Solomon joined a panel at the Aspen Ideas: Health Festival called “Ethical Artificial Intelligence: Oxymoron or Possibility?”

    Read “Hastings President Addresses the Question: Is Ethical AI an Oxymoron?”

  • Hastings Center News

    Daniel Callahan, 1930-2019

    Read “Daniel Callahan, 1930-2019”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Citizen Science: Potential Benefits and Ethical Challenges

    Read “Citizen Science: Potential Benefits and Ethical Challenges”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Chinese Bioethicists: He Jiankui’s Crime is More than Illegal Medical Practice

    Professionals and the public in China first learned of the jail sentence of He Jiankui from the report of Xinhua News Agency. No information, including any interpretation, was provided by the Court. But the reported words of the sentence are so ambiguous as to leave room for different interpretations. We believe that the public has the right to know more than Xinhua News Agency reported.

    Read “Chinese Bioethicists: He Jiankui’s Crime is More than Illegal Medical Practice”

  • Hastings Center News

    Expert in Artificial Intelligence Named Hastings Center Senior Advisor

    Read “Expert in Artificial Intelligence Named Hastings Center Senior Advisor”

  • Hastings Center News

    Could Genetic Testing for Educational Attainment Cause Harm? Hastings Researcher Begins First-Ever Study to Find Out

    Hastings Center postdoctoral researcher Lucas J. Matthews is undertaking the first-ever study to examine the potential harms of telling students about their genetic propensity for educational attainment.

    Read “Could Genetic Testing for Educational Attainment Cause Harm? Hastings Researcher Begins First-Ever Study to Find Out”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Globalized Science in a Deglobalizing World

    The arrest of Harvard chemist and nanobiologist Charles Lieber on charges of lying about his research funding from China encapsulates two phenomena currently in tension: the global nature of modern science and attempts to nationalize the fruits of science.

    Read “Globalized Science in a Deglobalizing World”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Before We Turn to Digital Contact Tracing for Covid, Remember Surveillance in the Sixties

    Is it unrealistic to believe that phone apps for digital Covid contact tracing can be designed and regulated in ways that prevent the information they collect from being misused? It's worth remembering surveillance of Vietnam War protesters and Martin Luther King Jr.

    Read “Before We Turn to Digital Contact Tracing for Covid, Remember Surveillance in the Sixties”

  • Page

    Public Trust in Science

    HASTINGS CONVERSATIONS: A SERIES Dr. Anthony Fauci explored the ethical issues raised by the erosion of trust in science in a new virtual discussion hosted by The Hastings Center. The...

    Read “Public Trust in Science”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Motivated Ignorance: A Challenge for Science Communication and Democracy

    Many people are deeply interested in the political process and awash in relevant information., but nevertheless often grossly misinformed, holding confident but unfounded opinions at odds with widely accessible evidence The recent riot at Capitol Hill is just one illustration–albeit a horrifying one–of such misinformation and its potential consequences. The anti-vaccine movement is another example.

    Read “Motivated Ignorance: A Challenge for Science Communication and Democracy”

  • Bioethics Forum Essay

    Science in the Biden White House: Eric Lander, Alondra Nelson, and the Legacy of Lewis Thomas

    Science has replaced populism in the White House. For the first time, the president's science advisor will be elevated to cabinet rank. There are other good omens, as well.

    Read “Science in the Biden White House: Eric Lander, Alondra Nelson, and the Legacy of Lewis Thomas”

  • Page

    Advancing Social Justice, Health Equity, and Community

    TRANSCRIPT: February 9, 2021 Hello, good afternoon. If you’re on the East Coast and welcome to the annual Daniel Callahan lecture, advancing social justice, health, equity and Community. We are...

    Read “Advancing Social Justice, Health Equity, and Community”

  • Hastings Center News

    Omenn and Darling Gift to Bolster Trust in Scientific Innovation

    Preeminent science researcher and science policy expert Gilbert S. Omenn, MD, PhD., and national nonprofit leader Martha A. Darling have made a major gift supporting “trusted and trustworthy scientific innovation”...

    Read “Omenn and Darling Gift to Bolster Trust in Scientific Innovation”

  • Hastings Center News

    Call for Nominations: 2021 David Roscoe Award for an Early-Career Scholar’s Essay on Science, Ethics, and Society

    Artificial intelligence, Crispr gene editing, and other powerful new technologies have profound implications for society. They will likely bring both potential benefits and safety concerns and have other ethical and...

    Read “Call for Nominations: 2021 David Roscoe Award for an Early-Career Scholar’s Essay on Science, Ethics, and Society”

  • Page

    Should the FDA Have Approved the New Alzheimer’s Drug?

    Should Patients Take It? Monday, July 12, 2021 The Food and Drug Administration’s accelerated approval of a new Alzheimer’s drug has created a firestorm of praise and outrage. Dissenters include...

    Read “Should the FDA Have Approved the New Alzheimer’s Drug?”

  • Hastings Center News

    Climate Change Ethics Explained in New Primer

    A new primer that frames the moral and policy issues around climate change calls it unlike any problem that humanity has ever faced. “No issue demands greater care in balancing...

    Read “Climate Change Ethics Explained in New Primer”

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  • Who We Are
    • The Hastings Center for Bioethics Strategic Plan 2025-2029
    • Mission
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    • Financials
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    • Hastings Center for Bioethics News
  • What We Do
    • Research
    • Webinars
    • Hastings Bioethics Resources
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    • Bioethics Careers & Education
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    • The Bioethics Founders’ Award
    • Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician and Nursing Awards
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    • Hastings Center Report
    • Ethics & Human Research
    • Special Reports
    • Hastings Bioethics Forum
    • Bioethics Briefings
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